I really like your original design sketches so I'd stick with that if you can. but when it's thatched and done it will look cool no matter what. And since we don't live in CA there won't be anyone else around for people to compare it to, except on TC.
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Lori

Thanks for weighing in. Yeah, I think I am going to try for the angled ridge. So far my structure is pretty true to the last sketch I posted.

The past couple evenings I have been working on carving the exposed ends of the ridge beam. I thought it would look kind of cool and fun to make the ends look like "native" animals. This is my first attempt at carving with a router (or otherwise)....its a far cry from the skills of others here but fortunately my lack of skill works to make it look more primitive.

The far end ridge has a bird:

The near end is a croc (not completed yet, I ran out of daylight again before I could cut out his mouth and hit it with a torch).

Jim, I've been meaning to ask if you were going to do something about the starkness of that brilliantly (by contrast) white fence in the background? Maybe paint/stain it some shade of brown or cover it with reed fencing so that it helps to bring the space together?

Nice job on the build so far, I really like the added details of the ridge pole end figures. Keep it up.

The original plan for the fence was to paint a mural (see page 1 of this thread). My wahine however, doesn't think it will last that long in the Michigan elements before looking bad. She's probably right..I've been watching another mural on a commercial building in town and have come to realize that they have the painter come back every year to touch it up. I hate maintenance and am trying to avoid things that won't last.

I haven't focused on the white fence as much since starting the bar. But will need to revisit it after the bar structure is complete.

The fence that forms the back wall of the new bar/hut will have lauhala matting and other backbar elements covering it up.

Here is the completed crocodile for the top end of the ridge beam:

I hung the ridge beam temporarily this evening. But need to lower it before permanently setting it tomorrow.

Here is the temporary ridge beam setting. I wanted to get it up and see how the angle and height would look. In this photo it is at a 15-degree angle. I think I will flatten angle to 10-degrees and lower it by a foot.

I'm taking a break for a few minutes here from working on framing the roof...its hotter than Hades outside today. I'm embarrassed to admit how much time I have into hanging these rafters. That sloped ridge beam kicked my butt yesterday. I finally have had a little more luck with the angles thanks to a level app I downloaded on my iphone. Using the app, I can position my long (light weight compared to a board) level in the same place a rafter needs to be and then hold the phone next to it and get the angle. Who would have thought a phone could help build a tiki bar!

Here is a progress photo:

I also received my banana trees in the mail yesterday. I need to review what others have posted about what has worked with over-wintering them in cold climates. I decided for now to just put all of them in a big 20" pot. My current thought is to bring them in for the winter since I doubt they will get too big with the late start this year growing them.

Work on the roof rafters continues... trying to figure out the overhang and slopes on the lower rafters. As it is here, there is a 2-foot overhang which I think would put one just under the roof if sitting on the side of the bar. I'm not sure if I like the profile or not relative to the steeper part of the roof. Any thoughts?